..Specifically, we show how thick enamel can protect against the generation and propagation of cracks in the enamel that begin at the enamel-dentine junction and move towards the outer enamel surface...

Viewpoints: diet and dietary adaptations in early hominins: the hard food perspective

..africanus cranium is marginally less rigid than that of the macaque during molar biting. It is hypothesized that the SE results are being influenced by the allometric scaling of cranial cortical bone thickness...

Microwear, mechanics and the feeding adaptations of Australopithecus africanus

..Several aspects of tooth form can be described as devices to limit damage to a tooth crown against the onslaught of hard or soft foods. The damage modes of teeth are paralleled by the behavior of some bilayered hard foods...

Sea otter dental enamel is highly resistant to chipping due to its microstructure

..We also found that primate biomass is higher in seasonal sites. We conclude that these findings are consistent with the notion that routine trichromatic vision evolved in a context where seasonal folivory was pivotal to survival...

..There were no similar differences for fruits although red-greenness may sometimes be important in close-range fruit selection. These results suggest that routine trichromacy evolved in a context in which leaf consumption was critical...